David Klass is an American

screenwriter A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...

and

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living wage, living writing novels and other fiction, while other ...

. He has written more than 40

screenplay A screenplay, or script, is a written work produced for a film, television show (also known as a '' teleplay''), or video game by screenwriters (cf. ''stage play''). Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of w ...

s for Hollywood studios and published 14 young adult novels. His screenplays are primarily character-based thrillers for adults, while his novels often tell the stories of teenagers in crisis.

Biography

Klass was born in

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

and raised in Leonia, New Jersey, the son of Sheila Solomon Klass, English professor and author, and Morton Klass, professor of anthropology at

Barnard College Barnard College is a Private college, private Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college affiliated with Columbia University in New York City. It was founded in 1889 by a grou ...

and the brother of Perri Klass, a pediatrician, author, educator, and a contributing columnist for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

''. His uncle was science fiction author Philip Klass, who wrote under the name '' William Tenn''. Klass attended Leonia High School. He received his BA in History from

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

in 1982 and later graduated from USC School of Cinema-Television (1989). Klass lives in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

with his wife, Giselle Benatar, and their two children.David Klass - Profile
''

Macmillan Publishers Macmillan Publishers (occasionally known as the Macmillan Group; formally Macmillan Publishers Ltd in the United Kingdom and Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC in the United States) is a British publishing company traditionally considered to be on ...

''.

Novels

Klass’s writing career began with the novel ''The Atami Dragons'', inspired by his experiences as an English teacher in Japan. His 1994 book ''California Blue'' gathered very positive reviews for its quiet yet compelling treatment of environmental issues. In 2001 Klass published '' You don’t know me'', which uses an edgy first-person narrative to tell the story of a teenage boy’s life with an abusive stepfather-to-be. The book has been published in 18 languages, was named an ALA Best Book For Young Adults, and continues to be popular with young adult audiences in the United States and internationally. ''Firestorm'' is the first book of the Caretaker Trilogy, a series of science fiction thrillers with an ecological theme. ''Firestorm'' was the first book ever endorsed by

Greenpeace Greenpeace is an independent global campaigning network, founded in Canada in 1971 by a group of Environmental movement, environmental activists. Greenpeace states its goal is to "ensure the ability of the Earth to nurture life in all its biod ...

''Variety'' article
/ref> and was praised by critics for its combination of entertainment value and environmental message, garnering an American Library Association (ALA) Best Book citation, a starred review from ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'', and a favorable review by ''The New York Times Book Review''. The story focuses on Jack Danielson, a teenager sent back from the future to save the world’s oceans. ''Whirlwind'', the second book in the Caretaker Trilogy, tells the story of Jack’s efforts to save the Amazon rain forest; published in March 2008 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. The third book in the trilogy is ''Timelock'', published in fall 2009. ''Firestorm'' has been optioned by Warner Bros. and the production company Thunder Road. A screenplay for the movie version is now in active development. ''Out of Time'' is an adult novel about a talented young FBI agent in pursuit of an ecoterrorist.

Screenplays

Klass has also written more than 40 Hollywood screenplays, including the adaptation of James Patterson's '' Kiss the Girls'' for the movie version starring Morgan Freeman and Ashley Judd. His most recent produced screenplay was the remake of '' Walking Tall'' starring The Rock. Klass wrote the screenplay for the thriller '' Desperate Measures'' starring Michael Keaton and Andy García, which was based on his original idea. With his sister, playwright and Truman Scholar Judy Klass, he adapted

Julia Alvarez Julia Alvarez (born March 27, 1950) is an American New Formalist poet, novelist, and essayist. She rose to prominence with the novels '' How the García Girls Lost Their Accents'' (1991), ''In the Time of the Butterflies'' (1994), and ''Yo! ...

's novel ''

In the Time of the Butterflies ''In the Time of the Butterflies'' is a historical fiction novel by Julia Alvarez, relating a fictionalized account of the Mirabal sisters during the time of the Trujillo dictatorship in the Dominican Republic. The book is written in the ...

'' into the 2001 movie starring

Salma Hayek Salma Valgarma Hayek Pinault ( , ; ; born September 2, 1966) is a Mexican and American actress and film producer. She began her career in Mexico with starring roles in the telenovela ''Teresa (1989 TV series), Teresa'' (1989–1991) as well a ...

and Edward James Olmos.''In the Time of the Butterflies'' at IMDB

Bibliography

* ''The Atami Dragons'' (1984) * ''Breakaway Run'' (1987) * ''Different Season'' (1988) * ''Wrestling With Honor'' (1989) * ''Night of the Tyger'' (1990) * ''Samurai, Inc.'' (1992) * ''California Blue'' (1994) * ''Danger Zone''(1996) * ''Screen Test'' (1997) * ''Desperate Measures'' (1998) (with Robert Tine) * '' You Don't Know Me'' (2001) * ''Home of the Braves'' (2002) * ''Dark Angel'' (2005) * '' The Caretaker Trilogy'' :#''Firestorm'' (2006) :#''Whirlwind'' (2008) :#''Timelock'' (2009) * ''Stuck on Earth'' (2010) * ''Second Impact'' (2013), with Perri Klass * ''Grandmaster'' (2014) *''Losers Take All'' (2015) *''Out of Time'' (July 7, 2020)

Filmography

*'' Kiss the Girls'' (1997) *'' Desperate Measures'' (1998) *''Runaway Virus'' (2000) *''

'' (2001) *'' Walking Tall'' (2004)

References

17. Tom Nolan, Wall Street Journal, July 11, 2020

External links

*
David Klass' Myspace page David Klass: Farrar, Straus & Giroux
{{DEFAULTSORT:Klass, David Living people American writers of young adult literature 20th-century American novelists American male screenwriters Yale University alumni 21st-century American novelists American male novelists Leonia High School alumni 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American male writers Film directors from New Jersey Screenwriters from New Jersey Year of birth missing (living people) Writers from Leonia, New Jersey